🔗 Share this article Stupidity and Royal Self-Entitlement Damaged Andrew, and It Could Continue Yet It all began with a isolated photograph, possibly the most significant ever taken of a member of the monarchy. There stood the Baron Killyleagh, standing closely beside a young woman, while a companion smiled conspiratorially in the rear. Without that snapshot, shot at a party in 2001, it would have been difficult to accept the assertions of a teenager who said she was transported across the ocean and compelled to have brief sexual encounters with a individual of the monarchy? An odd, telling move by someone who had publicly asserted to have no been aware of her, said he could never have had sex with her, and yet paid a substantial sum of his mother's money to avert a drawn-out legal case. Years of Disgrace Against this backdrop, talk of the monarchy acting swiftly to cut Andrew off are wide of the mark. This affair has endured for the majority of 15 years since that image, and a further photo of Andrew strolling amiably with a convicted sex offender surfaced. Arrogance: To what extent did his siblings, perhaps even his relatives, know that Andrew was so presumptuous? Dubious Friendships: They must have understood, if his employees and the police were fulfilling their roles, that he had some deeply disreputable friends given he publicly welcomed them to royal residences. Financial Extravagance: If the household did not know about his sexual proclivities, they certainly knew about his extravagance with state resources. Travel were printed in public records: helicopter transfers from the royal residence to a sporting venue and back again in time for midday meal, chartered planes instead of commercial flights, all for the convenience of "the travel enthusiast". A Life of Privilege Then there was the presumption which required subservience when he appeared in a space or the extreme obsession about his royal titles used on his official documents in communication to his friends. He avoided accountability while his mother, who inexplicably indulged him, was still alive. The sovereign did at least remove him of royal responsibilities and ceremonial ranks in the aftermath of his catastrophic and, as revealed, deceptive public statement six years ago. Recent Developments Just in the last 14 days that events progressed rapidly, following the issuance of biographical works giving more troubling information of his actions and that of his associates. Additional revelations have again revealed Andrew's thinking that he could avoid deceiving about his relationship with a notorious figure. People (and the journalists) were far more perceptive of the monarchy. There was nobody of any importance to speak up for him, a consequence of all those years of presumption. Monarchical Concerns The wiser royals realized that. The primary concern is to transfer the monarchy, if not as heretofore at least whole and unblemished. They have spent the last 190 years trying to overcome the image of previous monarchs, demonstrating they are beneficial, dutiful and attentive to their people. His actions endangered all that in peril in an era when deference and secrecy is no longer sufficient. Consequences Finally, the famously indecisive sovereign was prodded further. There was no alternative. The institution had relinquished authority of the narrative. Currently the loss of designations and the continued and life-long personal shame that will pain Andrew most deeply. Reduction: Demoted to just a private citizen Past Example: The primary monarch to forfeit his honorifics in recent history Naval Career: Notably painful given his service in the Falklands war He is still a royal advisor, theoretically able to act for the sovereign, and he is still in the lineage to the throne, but none of these will ever happen. Future Prospects Will people he comes across still show respect to him? Will they still forget themselves and call him Your Highness? Would they say Mr, Certainly, he is not withdrawing to suburbia, but to the monarchy's extensive grounds at a royal residence. At that location, he will be supplied by the monarch with one of the estate properties and given some type of personal stipend. This differs from his former home, where he paid a minimal rent for more than 20 years, and Norfolk is a bit far, but even so it may not be adequate distance. Outstanding Concerns Matters remain unresolved. There are still records in the hands of overseas authorities to be made public. Parliamentary Interest: Could parliament request additional information Financial Investigation: Or scrutinize the misuse of state resources Legal Possibility: There may even be a criminal probe into his actions Maybe for the time being the harm to the monarchy to the institution is contained. The narrative from the institution was clearly that the stripping of designations was what the monarch, and particularly other senior monarchical figures, sought. Changed Stance The cessation of pretence that Andrew was doing it voluntarily. And, significantly, the short communication showed plainly that the institution were supporting the complainant's account of events. Additionally, for the premiere occasion they ultimately showed regard for the survivors: "The measures are considered essential, despite the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him." In the end it is presumption, self-interest and indolence that will undermine the monarchy. In his folly, self-gratification and greed, Andrew appears never to have grasped that lesson.